The Tragic Princess
by Kyveli
Summary: What ever happened to Princess Calia Menethil? Here's her story. Non Canon, AU. Adult situations.
1. Tragic Wedding

**Author's Note:** Ok, I have always wondered about what ever happened to princess Calia Menethil, so I decided to write a story about her. By the way, I realised that I've been writing Lord Daval Prestor's name wrong. I will try to rectify the mistake. It is of course Non-Canon and AU, since no one knows the poor princess's true fate and wareabouts.

* * *

Tragic Wedding

Fighting for my life again. It seems to be a norm noways. Just when I think that I am safe, that everything is going to be alright, tragedy strikes. How many times has this happened before? Three? Four? Five? Definitely more than what a single person should ever experience in a life time. That is if your name is not Calia Menethil. Since my eighteenth birthday, all I ever do is count the tragedies that have struck my short life.

* * *

It all started with my wedding. I had caught the eye of the heir to the throne of Alterac, Lord Daval Prestor. He was not the legitimate son of King Aiden Perenholde, the ruler of Alterac who had sired a daughter Mia, now married to Genn Greymane, the king of Gilneas. It came as a surprise to everyone when Prestor appeared at my father's court three years prior to our wedding, claiming to be the long lost bastard son of the king of Alterac. The aged king's mind had started to deteriorate rapidly after his wife's death five years ago, and he couldn't admit nor deny the young noble's claim. The Priests' and Magi's spells confirmed Prestor's paternity, but the lords of Alterac would still not accept him, since ruling in Perenholde's place, had filled their gold chests to the brim. Father offered him sanctuary and agreed to help him reclaim his throne. During his time at the palace of Lordaeron, the twenty year old noble had pursued me relentlessly, until I succumbed to his advances and agreed to become his wife.

On my seventeenth birthday, I was walking down the isle of the Lordaeron Cathedral of Light, my right arm wrapped on my brother's elbow. Arthas was very nervous, he was only fifteen, it was the first time he ever took part in a formal ceremony, and didn't want to fail Father who was sitting on a throne next to Mother, both looking very regal and proud for my choice. After what seamed like hours, Arthas presented me to Prestor and glared at him. He didn't like him one bit, he could see what I, Father and Mother failed to see back then. He was an impostor, and not even Human. The wedding was a blur, the reception, even more so. And then came the wedding night. And reality struck. I was a sheltered, pampered and spoiled Princess, I only knew what my mother allowed my healer to explain to me. It sounded degrading and somewhat disgusting, but the Priestess assured me that the initial pain and discomfort gave way to pleasure. And babies came out of that. Prestor was very gentle and considerate, he eased my way to the world of adults, and nine months later, my son was born. Edmond had inherited Prestor's black eyes and hair. We had long since moved to Alterac, Perenholde had died at the age of one hundred, and the Alterac nobles scattered the moment they heard that the deceased king's son and his royal consort were coming to rule Alterac accompanied by five thousand Lordaeron Paladins, Warriors and foot soldiers. Mother travelled with us to provide support during my first pregnancy and be there for the birth. Father and Arthas came much later and left immediately after Edmond's naming ceremony, whereas mother stayed until he became three months old.

Alas, she should have left with them, they would have provided her with proper protection. But she had decided to tour all the major towns on her way back. While travelling towards Tarren Mill, her caravan was ambushed by Ogres, who killed off all the guards and abducted the rest. Ogre captivity was notorious, those who were not strong enough to work in their mines, were slaughtered and eaten by them. No one expected to find any of them alive. Only a very young squire survived by climbing up a tree and crawling into a cavity large enough to hide her and small enough for them not to notice it among the branches and the foliage. She waited for them to head towards the Hinterlands, then climbed down and run to Tarren Mill to sound the alarm. But it was too late. Lord Uther and his Paladins, Prince Muradin and his Warriors, and an entire regiment of Rangers led by Lorthemar Theron himself, courtesy of King Anasterian, combed the Hinterlands, even ventured as far as the Arathi Highlands and the Wetlands, but found no trace of them. I was devastated, Arthas more so, but we understood. Short of committing genocide against every Ogre in the Eastern Kingdoms, there was no way to discover what had happened to our mother. So we endured the pain, and it eventually dulled a little.

Time passed and I was now twenty years old. The kingdom prospered under Prestor's rule and my counsel. Edmond grew strong and beautiful. We were happy. I dared to hope that this bliss was going to last forever. I was wrong. They came from the North. They were many and massive. They wanted Prestor, only Prestor to surrender to them. The rest of us were of no importance to them. How can someone deny hundreds of fire breathing dragons? Prestor went out to meet them.

"Leave!", he shouted at them, "I am doing nothing wrong here, I have gotten better, I have a new human family now, and people to rule. We are all prospering, we have no need of your interference". The leader of the group, a massive red dragon shook her head and transformed into a horned High Elf. She approached Prestor and put her hand on his shoulder.

"No Neltharion, you are not well yet, you are coming with us. We are going to help you, my brother. The black dragonflight has been corrupted by N'Zoth, but we will cure you from it.", she said. Prestor pushed her off him.

" **NO, ALEXESTRAZA** ", he roared, " **I AM NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU, AND STAY AWAY FROM MY BRETHREN** ", he transformed into an even larger dragon than his sister, but black of color, and flew high and away towards the west, the rest of dragons chasing after him. I was shocked, we all were. My husband, the ruler of Alterac, the bastard son of Perenholde was not even human, let alone the heir to the throne. He was a dragon of all things. 'But how could he possibly sire Human children?', I wondered out loud. Arthas just shrugged his shoulders. He run to my side the moment I sent my father the news. The answer came from Prince Kael'Thas Sunstrider, the Kirin'Tor and Quel'Thalas representative, who travelled to Alterac along with other representatives from the neighboring realms to offer their support.

"Dragons are very powerfully magical creatures, your Majesty.", his calm, cultured, and pleasant voice filled the throne room, where I sat on the throne my husband sat only a week ago. Arthas was standing next to me holding my hand. "Neltharion is the leader of the black dragonflight, the aspect of Earth. He is over twenty thousand years old, he has sired thousands of children with dragons mostly, but with many other races as well. Magical cross breeding is obviously not beyond the aspects' grasp. Your son has dragon's blood running through his veins, he is bound to become very special.", he explained.

"Do you believe that he might grow to become dangerous, Prince Kael'Thas?", Arthas asked.

"No one can know that, Prince Arthas. One usually becomes dangerous and perhaps evil if he or she is not brought up right. Nurture plays a very important part. I am certain that Queen Calia will raise the child right, and he will grow to become a great champion of the Eastern Kingdoms. Corruption from outside influences could also affect the person, but a proper environment should protect him or her, and prevent a bad outcome. After all, Neltharion used to be good, until he was corrupted by the old god N'Zoth. That is why he is better known now as Deathwing. But with the proper guidance, Edmond will not follow his father's path. By what the Queen, the nobles and people have told us, it appears that Neltharion was trying to redeem him self for his past sins. His rule over Alterac was exemplary, and so was his treatment towards the Queen and his son.", he told my brother, trying very hard to hide his dislike for the "bratty whelp", as he called him when he was surrounded by his closest friends. How could he not, Arthas has stolen from him the only Human female he had ever loved. All of Kael's previous lovers had been Elven females from all class specializations and stations in life. Jaina was an huge exception for him. Her extraordinary beauty, her superior intellect, her superb magical talent caught his attention. And her sweet innocence and kindness sealed the deal for him. The more he got to know her, the more infatuated he became. But she was only sixteen, a mere child, and he was several centuries old. That caused him to fall into great self doubt. How can he fall in love with a mere child? He loathed him self for that. But he loathed Arthas even more, because he, unlike him, could court, touch, kiss, and even bed her, without being branded a sick bastard. Of course I didn't know all that then. To me he was just a kind and very helpful High Elven gentleman who offered his knowledge and assistance to everyone who required it. And he wasn't bad at all to look at either. In fact, he was the most beautiful male I had ever laid my eyes upon. His eyes had large pupils just like all Elves, and they were of the bluest kind I have ever seen. They gleamed like saphires. His hair was even more golden than mine and Arthas', long straight and silky, framing his perfect face and falling gracefully down his shoulders. He was tall, but not as tall as Arthas, or as bulky. Arthas was huge, even for Human standards, Kael was lean and tall, but not lanky and awkward like the Darkspear Trolls, but muscular and elegant. Arthas noticed that I was gawking at him and coughed lightly. I recovered quickly, and spoke.

"Thank you Prince Kael'Thas, please join us for dinner and stay a while. My people will have many questions and it would be best if an expert explained it to them. I believe a month should do, or perhaps longer", I graciously offered hospitality to him.

"Thank you, your Majesty! I will be happy to remain here and offer my help for as long as it is needed.", Kael bowed his head and smiled at me.

* * *

I like Elves, I have always found rapport with them. I showed great talent in archery from a very early age, so Father brought the best Ranger instructors from Quel'Thalas to tutor me and even sent me to the Farstriders' retreat for many summers to learn from Halduron Brightwing himself. And I excelled at it, Halduron was very proud of me. Even Lorthemar Theron was impressed and told Sylvanas Windrunner, the Ranger General about me. She observed me very closely, tested me to no end, until she finally approved. I could be a Ranger were I not Human and a princess from a different realm. Nathanos Marris was enough for one life time. A second Human in the Rangers ranks would cause a riot. But I parted from them with the title of "Honourary Ranger Captain", and with great gifts. Sylvanas gave me a bow, the likes of which I have never seen or used before. It was a masterpiece, a powerful relic from the past made for high ranking Rangers! Lor'themar gave me a beautifully crafted quiver, magically enchanted to never run out of arrows. It was filled with the most beautiful and deadly arrows I have ever seen.

"They are made of mithril, but are coated with pure silver that never rusts or becomes blunt, just in case you run into Worgen.", the gorgeous Elf winked at me.

"What is a Worgen?", I asked confused. Halduron snorted.

"Pay no attention to him, little huntress. Worgen were creatures created by dark Druids many thousands of years ago right before the "Sundering" to battle the demons of the Burning Legion. They were half Elven and Half Worg. They helped a lot against the demons, but eventually became too difficult to control, and started to attack the Kaldorei as well. They were eventually put down and their creators were severely punished. But that threat ended ten thousand years ago, there are none left anymore, they have long since died.", Halduron explained to me.

"Indeed, you do not need to worry about them anymore, young Calia, Lor'themar, is just trying to be funny in his own strange way.", Sylvanas piped in and smacked her husband's shoulder affectionately. Lor'themar let out a fake grunt of pain and rubbed his shoulder. Halduron's gift was even more precious to me. He went out in the Eversong Woods by himself when I first started my summer apprenticeship with him, and caught a pair of springpaw Lynxes. Part of my duties was to tend for these animals, raise and train them. And five years later, he presented them to me as his parting gift.

"Take them, little huntress. They are yours, you raised them, you trained them, you hunted with them. They recognize you as their true mistress. Treat them well and you will have their unending love and loyalty for the rest of their lives. They will bring you many more cubs in the years to come, and soon you will have a whole pack to breed and train. You will find them very useful.", he told me.

"Thank you Halduron, I love them both, I am very honored that you actually entrusted them with me.", I hugged him, reveling at his awkwardness. He disliked Humans with a passion, he regarded them as unworthy to join the ranks of the Farstriders. I was the only Human he liked and tolerated having around. He patted my head and I let him go.

"Yes, well, let me escort you to the portal chamber, I am certain that your family is eager to see you again.", he smiled softly, and mounted his Hawkstrider. I mounted one too, and we rode back to Silvermoon city, our conversation revolving mostly around archery, hunting tips and proper Lynx maintenance. I stopped by the throne room, and payed my respects to King Anasterian, thanking him for allowing me the opportunity to train and ride with the Farstriders. He smiled at me and told me to give his regards to my parents and Arthas. I then took the portal home. Six months later, I was married to Prestor and three months pregnant, leaving all thoughts and dreams of creating a Human Ranger order in Lordaeron behind me.

* * *

It was a week after Prestor's disappearance that I received the grim and devastating news. A destroyer from Kul'Tiras ventured too close to the Maelstrom, and the sailors witnessed a great battle raging between dragons. In fact there were many red, blue, green, and bronze colored dragons attacking a very large black one. The black one was severely injured, he was bleeding profusely from many different wounds around his body, the most severe one being his jaw, which was almost gone. Unable to continue to fly and fight, the injured dragon spiraled down the sky out of control and plunged in the middle of the Maelstrom with a blood curling wail of pain. I was devastated, no one could survive that, not even a dragon. So I was a widow! My husband, my king, the father of my child was gone. I felt like someone had thrown buckets of ice water at me. I could not breath, I felt like a noose was constricting my neck. But I could not fall apart right now. That would come later. I was the Queen of Alterac, and my people were going to look up to me for support and guidance. So I steeled my self, sat up straight on the throne and accepted the condolences that poured in from the nobles, my people and from every realm in the Eastern Kingdoms. Arthas was my rock during that time. He stood right next to me, his large form and Light filled aura providing me with all the support and comfort I needed to get through those dark days. In the night, after everyone would leave, and after I kissed my son goodnight, I would always fall apart in my bedchamber. But Arthas was always there to pick me up, carry me to the bed and hold me as I sobbed my self to sleep. He would then cover me with my blanket, kiss my forehead, and prop himself on a chair next to the bed, watching over me as I slept. Kael'Thas stayed during these dark days as well, providing his help and support any way he could. I really appreciated that, he was such a noble soul. I was very touched when he became cross with one of the nobles who came to challenge my reign as the Queen Regent for my son. Unfortunately, the noble was right. We held no real claim to the throne, Prestor was an impostor, and a dragon aspect. It was up to Queen Mia now to come her self or send one of her children to rule Alterac. But no one came. They preferred the isolation of Gilneas. And Mia was disowned when she chose to follow her husband, when he seceded Gilneas from the old Alliance and built the great Greymane wall. So a Viceroy took the throne. He did not rule for long.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Here's the first chapter. I know that there is a lot of Non Cannon here. Please review. XD


	2. The Plague

The Plague

A week later I was settled back in my old bedchamber at the Lordaeron palace, my son occupying the one next to mine. I was no longer the Queen consort, nor the Queen Regent of Alterac. I was a princess again, daughter of the High King of the Eastern Kingdoms and sister of the heir apparent of the throne of Lordaeron. I did what any other widow of my station did. I devoted my self to raising my son the best way I knew, assumed my mother's queenly duties of hosting events, organizing charities, attending diplomatic meetings and offering my advice on matters of the state as a member of the Lordaeron council. Arthas would always come and visit me as often as his duties in Stratholme allowed him. He had joined the Knights of the Silver Hand order, and his visits were now less frequent. Jaina and Kael visited me often, but never at the same time. Kael made sure of that. Bless Jaina, even after my foolish brother broke up with her for no apparent reason, she still came to check on how I was holding up. She kept me good company, I always enjoyed her stays as I did Kael's. It was at Kael's suggestion that I started hunting again along with my trusted Lynxes. Soon I started to chose amongst the best hunters in the realm, and began to train them as Rangers.

A year had passed, and there were whispers about a terrible darkness that has started to creep over the realm. A terrible, deadly plague accompanied by sightings of undead. Undead of all thing! Is that even possible? That goes beyond the laws of nature, as well as the Light's. There were of course legends about the undead walking the land of Kalimdor, eons ago, but they were just legends. Surely such things are not possible! Alas, my grasp of magic was very limited. As a hunter and an aspiring Ranger, I used very little magic, but my own brother used Holy magic, a lot. And Jaina and Kael used arcane. But necromancy? Nah, that's impossible, no such thing exists. Oh but it soooo did. This is Azeroth after all.

It started with the plague outbreak in Brill. Father sent Arthas to investigate. Half of the town was quarantined at the Town Hall, dozens of Priests and Paladins were doing their best to determine the cause of the illness and cure them. I followed my brother to the town and listened to the Mayor, as she reported the Priests' findings to Arthas. It was unlike anything they have come across before. Everyone who fell ill, succumbed to the plague only days later. They were all unceremoniously buried in mass graves in and outside the cemetery, which was clearly not built to have so many people interred there in such a short time. If only that was our only problem back then. We were sitting at the inn after a very long day of traveling around Brill and the surrounding farms checking on the people, distributing rations, medicines and blankets and questioning them about the plague, trying to determine the source. Any one who showed any sign of illness was promptly sent to the Town Hall. We were very tired, and grateful for the food that was set before us by the inn keeper. We lived on rations for days now. Just when we were about to break bread, a blood curling scream made us jump up, grab our weapons and run outside. It was horrible. It was as if reality had taken a break and gone for a vacation. The dead were walking again. The dead were dragging their feet around the town, their rotting flesh falling off their faces and bodies, attacking the living. It was surreal, it was unbelievable, it was beyond comprehension. Arthas and I just stood there, flanked by Falric and Marwyn, stunned by the events that were unfolding before our very eyes.

"Calie", Arthas stammered, "please tell me that you see what I see. Or even better, tell me that this is just a bad dream", he pleaded.

"If you are asking whether I see zombies trying to eat the brains of the villagers, then yes little brother, I see what you see.", I answered, removing my bow from my shoulder, while pulling an arrow from my quiver.

" **SOLDIERS OF LORDAERON! ATTACK...PROTECT OUR PEOPLE!",** Arthas roared, unsheathing "Light's Vengeance" from his shoulder and dropping it on the head of the closest zombie. It fell apart instantly. 'Hm, let's test a theory', I thought and shot an arrow at the chest of a zombie. It kept on advancing towards us. So I shot one right between its eyes. It collapsed in a heap of bones.

" **THE HEAD!** ", I roared, **"SMASH IT, SHOOT IT OR CHOP IT OFF...DECAPITATED THEM IF YOU CAN. NOTHING ELSE WILL WORK!',** I explained. They all complied. Soon there was nothing left, save for the ash of the dead. We incinerated them all after we were done, and issued the order to burn the corpses of the villagers who had succumbed to the plague. A raven haired High Elven Priestess with a waist long thick braid run to our position, and bowed her head before Arthas and I. She was holding a small satchel in her hands.

"Your majesties, I believe that I have found the cause of the plague.", she said. That caught our immediate attention.

"What have you discovered Lady Lightcaster?", Arthas smiled at the gorgeous young Elf, checking her out. She blushed and smiled back. 'Oh boy, I see now, why little brother broke up with poor Jaina. Well, he did always had a thing for brunettes, Jaina was the only exception.', I thought.

"I questioned most of the villagers, and I discovered that people started getting ill two days after the weekly grain delivery from Andorhal to the mill. It takes about a day to grind it into flour and sell it at the general store and the bakery. The next day people bought either flour from the store, or bread, pies and pastries from the bakery. And started to become ill. I rode to the mill to investigate and discovered that everyone was already dead and turned into...", she hesitated biting her lower lip.

"Zombies?", Arthas offered. Thalia nodded, relieved that we knew already and will not treat her as a mad woman.

"After I dispatched the undead I casted diagnostic spells at the remaining grain. It has been magically altered. It even looks and smells differently. I then rode to the bakery and the general store. The flour had the same magical signature as the grain, the zombies, the recently deceased people and the sick. We need to destroy the grain, the flour, the bread and the pastries and discover who among us has eaten any.", Thalia concluded and looked upon my brother with those big azure blue eyes of hers, as if he was a piece of candy. It's not like Arthas looked at her any differently. 'Oh well, looks like my future sister in law in going to be an Elf. I can't wait to see Garithos' face when Arthas announces their engagement, it's going to be priceless!', I chuckled inwardly.

"Well you heard the lady", Arthas bellowed, "destroy what is left of the grain and its products and isolate everyone who has consumed it. We ride to Andorhal when we are done here." A day later it was all over. All the grain and its products were destroyed, save for a few samples that I sent to Dalaran to be examined and possibly find a cure. Those who had consumed the grain were isolated from the general population. They were dead and cremated within hours. We headed east towards Anderhal to find the warlock responsible for this tragedy and stop him or her from spreading the disease. Unfortunately there were no Magi in our company, so we had to ride all the way to the Bulwark until we could find one to create a portal for us to the third largest city of our realm, and the only grain distributor in Northwestern Lordaeron.

Anderhal was not the beautiful, prosperous city I remembered from my travels around the realm. It looked abandoned, there was moss covering the decaying buildings, weeds had overrun the once green yards, and undead creatures were roaming the streets. The trees and plants looked sick, they have taken a yellowish color and even the sky around the doomed city was covered in a thick orange mist. The only living people walking around, looked like cultists. The wore long black robes covered in skulls, and their heads were covered with skull embroidered hoods. They were all working around giant cauldrons that contained a bid bubbling green ooze. Arthas did not have to think twice before he gave the order to attack them. Some of them were rounded up, ready to be interrogated, while the rest were lying dead around their cauldrons. We were contemplating a way to dispose the plague filled cauldrons safely, when a commotion from near the city drew our attention. About ten zombies had surrounded a hooded female Mage, who was fighting them off casting fire and ice balls at them, while shooting fire and frost novas from her staff. Two water elementals were flanked at either side of her, casting their own spells. I only new two Mages who could cast spells from different specialiazations at the same time. Kael and...

"Sire, shouldn't we help her", Falric asked in a very concerned tone. Arthas grinned and shook his head.

"Nah, she can take care of her self Falric. See? She has fried them already.", he said as they approached her.

"Gentlemen,", he told Falric and Marwyn, "Meet Miss Jaina Proudmoore, Lord Admiral Daelin Proudmoore's daughter, Lady of the island of Kul'Tiras and Mage of the Kirin'Tor order of Dalaran.", he introduced our old friend to the two captains.

"Milady!", they both bowed at her and kissed her hand. She smiled at them and then turned towards us.

"Callia, Arthas, it's great to see you two again, I just hoped that it would have been under different circumstances.", she whispered with a dire look in her face.

"What news have you, Jaina?", Arthas asked her, giving her an apraising look. He has not seen her for over a year, he had really missed her and was now very pleased to see the changes on her face and body, as she she has matured into adulthood. She was even more beautiful than he remembered, he told me after. 'Wow, little brother is really turning into a man whore, he is now after both Jaina and Thalia', I smirked.

"Have the Magi found a way to reverse the curse of undeath from the grain samples we sent you?". I asked her. Jaina shook her head.

"I'm afraid not. Antonidas, Kael and the rest of the Council of Six have been working on end to break the curse. So far, they have come up with nothing. Every spell they have thrown at it, bounced off it. Every potion the alchemists poured on it had no effect. They are now ransacking the libraries looking for more information. We did discover something very useful though. We have identified the magical signature. It belonged to a former member of the Council of Six, who was banished six months ago for meddling with Necromancy. Kel'Thuzad of Southshore.

"Never heard of him.", Arthas and I both answered in unison. Jaina snorted.

"Anyways, if so many cultists are here, then he is bound to be here too.", she said.

"Best news I heard since "Aunt Millie's Frozen Scones" started home deliveries! Come on, lets find this son of a bitch!", Arthas unsheathed "Light's Vengeance" and headed towards the city, followed by the rest of us. We slew the undead for hours, until we came across some creatures even more hideous and disgusting than the rest of the undead. They were huge, and seemed to be patched together from different body parts, their abdominal area was left opened and their entrails were just hanging out.

"Eww...what the hell are those?", I asked.

"They look like a compilation of different corpses.", Jaina observed.

"And they stink even worse than Marwyn's foot locker", Arthas said.

"Hey!", Marwyn protested, while Falric laughed and pointed at him. Arthas merely shrugged.

"So, you have found my masterpieces!", a deep voice was heard. "My abominations will tear you all apart!", A tall dark headed man, dressed like a cultist appeared from the shadows.

"Kel'Thuzad, I presume.". Arthas snarled.

"Indeed, young Prince. And you will not hinder my plans. All life will end on Azeroth.", the necromancer boasted. "Lets see how you will hold up against my creations", he hissed and the abominations charged at us. It was a brutal battle, those things were really hard to put down, but Arthas' onslaught was relentless. He completely slaughtered them with the aid of his Paladins, hands glowing with Light,and bright ethereal wings appearing on his back. He was completely bathed in Light's grace that day. I shot arrow after arrow at them, Jaina casted fire bolts and rained fire on their heads, while Thalia shielded and healed us. Soon, there were no abominations left, so Arthas turned his attention on Kel'Thuzad.

"You are going to pay for the lives you took, Necromancer", he bellowed at him, and charged. He was brought down within seconds, but before he died he gave us a warning.

"You may have succeeded in stopping me now, but you are already too late to save Lordaeron, Champions of the Light. The dreadlord Malganis has set his eyes upon Stratholme, and I have already sent there entire crates of plagued grain. Your people will be ours by the time you get there!", he cackled and died at Arthas' feet.

"We need to get there fast.", he whispered and Jaina started to create a portal. But she failed. The magical lay lines were severely affected, thanks to Kel'Thuzad's unholy magic. We had to ride there. And so we did. We decided to cut through Hearthglen village, there was a passage between the hills that led to the cave that connected the Darrowmere river to Stratholme. It was dusk when we reached the outskirts of the village.

"Let's spend the night here. We've been riding for two days straight, we need to rest, or we will be in no shape to help the citizens of Stratholme.", Arthas suggested, and we all agreed.

"I think that I might be able to create portals tomorrow, the more distance we put between our selves and Andorhal, the stronger I feel.", Jaina announced.

"That's excellent news Jaina, I don't think that I can endure four more days of constant horse riding.", I grinned. But we did not rest. The moment we reached the village square, the alarms were sounded. We were under attack. Undead were pouring from every side.

"Here we go again.", Arthas sighed, **"DEFENSIVE POSITIONS NOW",** he bellowed, "Jaina, take Falric and see if you can reach Hearthglen keep and alert Uther. There are too many.", and with that he jumped into the fight. I shot barrage after barrage of arrows at the undead. They collapsed, but more came.

"Their numbers are great! Where are they coming from?". I shouted.

"Beats me!". Arthas shrugged, as he swung Light's Vengeance around them, smashing the heads of several zombies. It was not going well for us. Though we haven't lost any one yet, the undead numbers didn't seem to decrease. Suddenly a horn was sounded, and hundreds of Paladins advanced against the undead. Several hours later it was over. The undead were obliterated. I had just finished washing the gore off me and was getting dressed again, when I heard yelling coming from the lounge of the inn we stopped to rest for a bit, before we continued our journey to Stratholme. I quickly got ready and run to the stairs. I met Jaina, Thalia, and some other female officers, who took the opportunity to wash up in the inn. We looked at each other bewildered, shrugged and run downstairs. Arthas and Uther were in a middle of a heated conversation. Arthas looked very angry, and Uther very frustrated.

"I did not mean it like that, lad!", Uther said in very exasperated voice.

"I have ears, Uther. I can hear. And I am not stupid. Just make sure that the surrounding area is safe from the undead and meet us in Stratholme. Ladies, we are leaving now.", Arthas snapped and walked outside. We looked at Uther, who shook his head at us, and we followed my brother. Jaina created a portal, and moments later, we were at the Stratholme gates.

The guards bowed as soon as they saw Arthas and me, and signaled at the gate keeper to open the gates. We headed straight for the Town Hall. The mayor was summoned so that we could inform him of the situation. We had to know if there had been any recent grain shipments from Andorhal. He confirmed that there was, and it was taken to the mills. Arthas ordered the troops to head to the Crusader's keep and rest until he ordered them back, and not eat anything except for their own rations. He asked the mayor to provide a place for me, Jaina and Thalia in the Town Hall to sleep, took some of the Stratholme guards and headed for the mills. As soon as I was shown my bed, I stripped down to my chemise and fell instantly asleep. I could only assume that Jaina and Thalia did the same. In the morning, a gentle nudge on my shoulder brought me out of dreamland. It was Arthas, he had just returned from the mills.

"Did you rest well, Calie?", he asked me in a soft voice. I nodded.

"Did you find anything?". I called out from the bathing room, as I washed up and got ready for the day.

"We did discover that grain was brought there, ground and distributed everywhere within the greater Stratholme area. I have sent people to determine whether it was the infected one or not. I have also sent others to check every infirmary, every chapel and knock on every door and see if we have any infections. They will alert us of their progress", he answered as he removed his armor. I let him wash up and sleep for a few hours, and waited for the investigator's progress report at the Town Hall's lounge along with Jaina and Thalia. It was noon when the first reports came in. I run upstairs to wake Arthas, and we both run down.

"Progress report!", he ordered them.

"Bad news sire. We found that the flour at the stores and the bakeries. Flour, bread and pastries have been sold as early as last night.", Mira, the young Paladin reported.

"Thank you Mira, you are dismissed. Continue your patrolling.", Arthas said in a grim voice, and turned to a young warrior who had just stepped in.

"Any news James?", he asked him.

"Yes, sire. Every infirmary and chapel is brimmed with plagued people. We are still going through every home in Stratholme, we have checked two thirds of the homes so far, and all of them have either eaten bread or pastries from a bakery, or baked their own things from flour they bought. At least one person from each house hold is already sick. We should have finished checking all the homes by mid afternoon.", the warrior reported.

"Thank you James. Return to checking the homes and come find me when you are done. Let me know if everyone has been infected.", he ordered James, who left running. He turned towards us.

"Looks like were are going to have to fight an even larger number of undead than Brill and Anderhal. We need an entire army to contain them. Ladies I am going to need your help again. Can I rely on you?", he asked. All three of us nodded.

"Calie can you go and ask Father for more troops? Thalia could you please go to you king and ask him if he could spare some of his Rangers to help us? Jaina, I need you to create a portal to Silvermoon City for Thalia, and another one to the Capital for Calia. After that, can you teleport to Hearthglen and Dalaran and ask them to send everyone they can spare? I need Uther and his Paladins here. I'll head to the Crusader's square and make sure that none of the Paladins and Priests have eaten any of the infected grain, and keep an eye of things here. As soon as you get back, have everyone stationed outside the gates, and send word to me. I will be patrolling the streets with our troops until you return.", he told us, and Jaina created portals for Thalia and me.


	3. The Culling

The Culling

I didn't know then how the other two girls fared with the missions my brother had tasked them with, but things did not go that well for me. I stepped out of the portal, and into the palace court yard. I crossed the mote, and quickly headed for the throne room, my white cloak billowing behind me. I was dressed in soft blue leather trousers and tunic. My knee high boots, belt, gloves and plates were white. My hip long hair was braided down my side, and a thin ivory circlet with dozens of hanging lapis beads, enchanted to provide me with more agility and haste, was wrapped around my head. The small sapphire gem in the middle, matched the color of my eyes. I was a Lordaeron princess after all, I had to wear Lordaeron colors. In retrospect, I should have been dressed in red, then all the blood that was splattered on me by the end of the day, would not have clashed with my chosen colors. My trusted bow and quiver were fastened diagonally across my back, and two daggers were sheathed at my sides. I meant business. The guards bowed as I walked past them, pushed the double doors, and stepped into the throne room. The council was in full session. 'Good', I thought, 'They all need to hear this. Perhaps they'll get off their fat arses and finally do something about this'. I stepped in the middle, dropped on one knee before my father and king, and bowed my head.

"Your Majesty.", I said in a loud voice. He smiled at me.

"Ah, my daughter. Welcome!", he said in a voice filled with pride, as he stood up and opened his arms at me. I approached him and we hugged. "What news have you, my child? What is happening in Stratholme?", he asked me, as he pointed to my seat next to him.

"Grim news, Sire. The infection in Brill was just the beginning, but we managed to save a third of the population. Andorhal is lost, none was left alive by the time we arrived, but we did manage to dispatch the undead. Hearthglen was almost lost to us, but we were able to save it in the end with the aid of Lord Uther and his Paladins. My brother slew the Necromancer responsible for distributing the plagued grain. It was Kel'Thuzad, a former member of the Council of Six of the Kirin'Tor. Before he died, he told us that a dreadlord demon named Malganis, was pulling the strings and that he had sent whole crates of the plagued grain to Stratholme. We arrived there last night and investigated. I'm afraid that it had been already distributed and consumed. What we are trying to determine at the moment is how many are infected. By last count it was more than half of the population. That means over five thousand undead will be attacking the living in less than twelve hours. We need more people if we are to contain this threat. We have to protect the healthy population of Stratholme, if there are any left, and keep the infected from spreading the disease further and attacking the living in the surrounding area. Father, please let me portal divisions one to ten there. They will help Arthas and me a lot, and the city will be saved. All of Lordaeron will be saved", I concluded my report to my King and father.

"That's preposterous", an annoying and obnoxious voice echoed in the room, "surely the prince and his Paladins can handle a few undead!". I whipped my head around, and glared at the owner of said voice. It was none other, than Grand Marshal Garithos.

"Grand Marshal Garithos!", I drawled, "I'm surprised to see you here. Isn't the eleventh division deployed at Durnholde and the surrounding area, dealing with the Orc revolt? I thought that you would have taken your duties more seriously after Thrall decapitated Commander Blackmoore and destroyed the keep.", Father chucked at that. He later told me that he was about to ask him that himself, when he saw him strutting in the throne room, mere moments before I arrived. Garithos face turned red with rage, but held his tongue. He didn't dare sass the Princess. He rose and bowed at me.

"Your Grace, we are still pursuing the Orcs, and have engaged them on several different occasions. But they have become very elusive and quite organized. Thrall has proved to be very cunning and ingenious. He uses our own tactics against us, and he continues to liberate his brethren from our camps. We discovered that he is now headed towards Hammerfall at the Arathi Highlands to liberated the Orcs held there. I came to report this to the king and request permission to pursue the Orcs beyond the borders of Lordaeron.", he explained to me in a rather condescending tone. Before I could berate him for his idiocy, my father spoke.

"The kingdom of Arathor has been destroyed for several years now, Grand Marshal. I do not need permission to deploy my armies through that realm, because there is no one left to ask. Princess Fiona, Admiral Daelin's wife has been dead for ten years now. The admiral and his sons are on a mission to the Broken Isles, Jaina is in Stratholme, and my daughters are currently visiting Stormwind with my grandchildren for Prince Anduin's birthday. None of them are around to ask. And even if they were, they would not have objected. They would have been happy to help us. But most importantly, you did not require my permission to enter the Arathor kingdom, because there is the no Arathor left anymore.", my father scolded the Grand Marshal.

My sisters. I haven't thought about them in years. My mother was not my father's first wife. The eighteen year old Lianne, Llane Wrynn's younger sister was noticed by my father, who at the age of forty five, decided to marry again and produce a male heir to the throne of Lordaeron, since his first wife, Queen Morgana, Llane' older sister, died giving birth to my twin half sisters, Katrina and Elizabeth, after ten failed pregnancies. Unfortunately my mother, had her sister's luck when it came to pregnancies and childbirth. It took her fifteen years to carry a pregnancy to full term, and I was born, two years before Arthas. I don't remember my sisters at all, they eloped with Admiral Daelin Proudmoore's sons when they turned sixteen. Father was displeased, and disowned them. They only held the deeds from their mother's properties and lands in the Kingdom of Stormwind, but nothing from Lordaeron. This only increased my sisters' resentment towards Father, which extended to Arthas and me. They won't even speak to us. Father did not hold my sisters' antics against the Admiral. His sons however, were not allowed to set foot on Lordaeron for years. His anger softened only after Arthas started to court Jaina, and allowed them access. My sisters however, did not return home to visit. They stubbornly remained in Kul'Tiras raising my nieces and nephews away from their grandfather, aunt and uncle. But apparently my father was well informed of all of their movements. He may be angry at them, but still loved them dearly and cared for their well being.

Before I left for Brill, I was at the throne room to ask for my father's permission to join Arthas in Brill, when a crow flew into the chamber and turned into an aged man, who called him self "the Prophet". He warned father that a great darkness was about to befall our realm, that this kingdom shall fall, and the best thing to do was to travel west and settle our people in the ancient land of Kalimdor. Father scoffed, and ordered him away, but the direness and desperation of the Prophet's voice sent chills down my spine. And a new plan formed in my mind. I informed Father that I will send Edmond to Stormwind to attend Anduin's birthday, and asked him if I could go to Brill and help Arthas. He of course acquiesced to my request, so I sent my boy to Stormwind with all of his possessions, before heading for Brill. I also wrote a letter to my cousin, Varian, explaining the situation here in Lordaeron, the Prophet's warnings, and expressing my fears that our kingdom might fall if the Prophet's words were true and we were not able to contain the plague. Varian's immediate response found me in Brill, right before we rode for the Bulwark. Edmond was more than welcome to stay as long as needed, I should move to Stormwind at once, and that he already sent word to Father that he and his troops, were at his disposal if things turned really bad. He sent his regards to his best friend and cousin, Arthas, and his love to me, reassuring me that Edmond was in very capable hands. Bless him, despite all the tragedies that befell upon him at a very early age, he was still holding himself together for the sake of his son and his kingdom, though he was severely depressed about Tiffin's untimely death almost ten years ago. He was always willing to help anyone in need, and thanks to his hospitality, I will not have to worry about my son's safety. My father's voice brought me back to reality.

"I'm afraid that I have not much to give you, my daughter. All the divisions are deployed throughout the kingdom on different missions. It will be too late by the time I send word to them and they portal to Stratholme. Only the first and the seventh are here in the Capital, and I need the seventh to protect the Capital and Tirisfal Glades, in case more undead appear. Take the first they are the most capable, after all, I know them all and fought beside them during the first and second war. They will take care of the situation. And your Rangers are of course at your disposal.", he concluded and nodded at his secretary to inform the First and the Rangers to report at the palace court yard. I sighed and inwardly rolled my eyes. The first division is exclusively comprised of war veterans a step before retirement. Capable and experienced as they were, they were all a tad too old for the task in hand. And my Ranger's numbers was still very small. They were in fact twenty in total. Plus fifty war veterans. Arthas is going to have a fit when he sees them, and rightly so.

"Father, with all due respect, this is a very serious situation. Stratholme is the second largest city in our kingdom. By tomorrow, five thousand undead monsters will be roaming within its walls, and the country side, if we don't manage to contain them. And we don't know if the rest of the towns have been infected. We need to contain the plague there, before they infect everyone else by biting them. Our numbers are not enough to do that.", I pleaded with my father.

"I'm sorry, my child, but there is nothing else I can do at the moment. If the situation is so dire as you say, then the rest of the divisions need to remain were they are and continue to patrol the realm and dispatch the undead and contain the plague. I have the utmost confidence in you, Arthas and the troops to contain the plague and the undead. Hopefully, Anasterian and Antonidas will send more people to you.", he told me.

"What about Varian, he already offered to send troops up here, and even come himself. What did you tell him?", I asked. My father shook his head.

"I do not believe that we need his help yet, my daughter. We can take care of this situation at the moment without Varian taking his troops from his own borders to help us. The Blackrock orcs, the Zandalari Trolls, and the Ogres of the Deadwind Pass are a big enough threat for him to take care of. He doesn't have to worry about our problems too. Not to mention the reports I've been receiving about whispers of dissension, south of the Nazferiti River. No, Varian has enough problems as it is. We cannot burden them with our own.", he concluded.

I didn't like this one bit, but there was nothing I could do. That's all my father had to offer. And he was right, Varian had enough in his plate, he could not afford to pull troops from his realm to save ours. So I stood up, bowed to father and left. The First and the Rangers were waiting for me at the court yard. I appraised them of the situation in Stratholme, and a large portal was created by the Magi for us. I was the last one through and ordered them to wait for us at the road to Stratholme, across the bridge. I then run inside the city to find my brother. He was at the festival lane patrolling with the rest of our soldiers. He was not happy.

"How can Father only send the first to aid us? Bloody hell, he's finally gone senile. There is no way in the nether, tha we'll be able to pull this through. People are dying by the minute Calie. And are unceremoniously incinerated before they rise. The natives are getting restless, they know that something awful is going on, and that this is more that a plague. They are asking questions. Questions that I have no answers.", he sighed. Just then, we spotted Thalia running to us. She had just returned from Silvermoon city.

"Thalia, please give me some good news.", my brother smiled at the beautiful Priestess. 'I can't believe him! Even now, when the world is about to blow up in his face, he still finds the time to flirt. Typical Arthas!'

"I'm afraid that the Silvermoon nobbles convinced my king that the plague outbreak is of no concern for Quel'Thalas. That we have already repaid you for the help you offered us with the Amani, when we helped you during the first and second war, and our enchanted forests will protect us from the undead. I am very sorry, Arthas, he listened to them. He is old, weak, and highly dependent on their support, since Prince Kael'Thas prefers to remain in Dalaran and deal with Kirin Tor affairs, rather than the ones of his own homeland. However, our Ranger General, Sylvanas Windrunner, and her second in command, Lor'themar Theron, convinced him to send Halduron Brightwing and a company of twenty Rangers to assist you. He's amazing, Arthas, and every single Ranger under his command is exceptionally skilled. They wouldn't be Farstriders if they weren't perfect. They are waiting at the road along with the Elven Kirin Tor Magi and Priests that Prince Kael'Thas sent to us. Jaina is still arguing with Antonidas about him sending people. Thankfully, the Prince does not require Antonidas' permission to order all the senior Elven Magi and Priest apprentices to come here, since they fall under his authority, as their Crown Prince. They are all top of their classes, you will find them extremely useful. Prince Kael'thas would have come as well, they told me, but unfortunately he came down with a nasty case of "Ancient relic curse disease". He was looking for a cure for the undead, when he stumbled upon an ancient Highborn relic. He broke the magical seal, but was affected by the curse side effect. He will be fine, but it will take him a few weeks to fully recover.", the Priestess looked up at my brother with those big blue eyes, biting her lower lip. 'Great! At least she didn't bat those long black eyelashes at him yet. That would have floored him', I rolled my eyes.

"Thank you, Thalia. Your help has been invaluable so far. I know that you did your best to convince your king to send more soldiers, and I am grateful that your Prince and Ranger General were sympathetic to our plea. I'm afraid that both kingdoms are plagued with a really bad case of nobble rash. Annoying, useless, and extremely hard to get rid off. I swear to you, as soon as I become king, I will send the lot of them to the gallows. Kael, should probably do the same as well.", he gave Calia one of his trademark smiles and put his hands over our shoulders.

"Come, my Ladies. Let's go check on the forces we got.", he lead us towards the gates. Before we reached the arch, we were stopped by a group of townsfolk asking for a healer. Thalia and I stayed behind to offer some help, while Arthas continued towards the bridge. By the time Thalia finished performing the last rights on the dying, while I was giving words of comfort to the relatives, Arthas had returned with a thunderous look on his face.

"What happened, Arthas?", we both asked him.

"Things just got even worse. Much worse. First Uther took his sweet time to arrive, and when I called him for it, he got really snappy. Then, I got the signal from the gates that everyone has been infected. I order Uther to purge the city and he refused. He disobeyed a direct order. I disbanded the Order of the Knights of the Silver Hand and sent away those who were not willing to save this land. All but a handful of Paladins left. Jaina included.", a heartbroken look clouded his face but he quickly recovered, "We will have to make do with the First, the Farstriders, our Rangers and the Elven Kirin Tor Magi and Priests. We are forced to do the unthinkable. We have to kill every man, woman and child in this entire city before they turn, escape and start attacking the healthy. It will be almost impossible to slay them, if we allow them to turn first, because our numbers are too small. We can't even wait for them to die and incinerate their bodies. We don't have enough people for such a task. I really hate this, girls. I'm their Crown Prince, I'm supposed to save them, not kill them all. But there's no choice. There's no cure and time is running out. If they're allowed to turn, we won't be able to contain them all. We can't afford to allow even one single undead monster escape the confines of the walls. We have to protect the rest of Lordaeron and surrounding realms. My only consolation is that by giving them a clean death, we spare them from the suffering of wasting away into a painful death and then becoming monsters controlled by a demon, who will make them attack their loved ones", he sighed and shook his head, looking ten years older.

"We have no choice, Brother. We need to slay them and save Lordaeron and the other kingdoms.", I squeezed his shoulder.

"Let history judge us, Arthas. This plague needs to be contained right here and now! As a healer, I see no other immediate options. You are right, this entire city must be cleansed. Light Forgive us!", Thalia gave my brother a reassuring sad smile. Arthas cupped her cheek and stroke his thumb against it. She leaned lightly towards his palm.

"Thank you, Thalia. I really appreciate your support in this. Lordaeron is not even your kingdom, yet you still care enough for it to do the right thing. I really appreciate your support as well, Sister.", he added as he squeezed my shoulder, " you have always supported every decision I have taken. Come, my ladies. Let's save this land, by sacrificing our own souls.", he sighed and moved towards a group of city folk. One moved towards him and said something. Arthas removed "Light's Vengeance from his shoulder, and crushed his skull. And so it begun. I raised my bow, and started shooting at the civilians indiscriminately. Thalia followed suit by casting "Smites", "Penances" and "Holy Novas" at them, but the deadly kind this time, and not the healing, she later told me that using Holy magic, instead of Shadow against them was painless and it resembled going into deep sleep. Both her and Arthas, along with the rest of the Priests and Paladins, were chanting prayers while killing the civilians, performing the last rights. The rest of our people had already stepped into the fold and gave the sick townsfolk clean deaths. Passerby adventurers offered their help and were tasked with helping the rest of us by taking out any undead monsters they came across. Somewhere at the start of the Culling of Stratholme, as it was later called by historians, the dreadlord Malganis "graced" us with his presence and taunted us, making his intentions known. Arthas vowed that he'd rather see his people dead by his hands, rather than allowing them to serve the demon in death. It was dusk when we reached Crusader's square, having already cleansed the rest of the city. The only sentient beings left alive in Stratholme were our own forces. The dreadlord appeared at the middle of the square and started to taunt by brother, who took the bait instantly. They fought for what seemed like hours. Arthas did not allow any of us to interfere. He wanted to deal with him by himself. He was very close to defeating Malganis, when the demon rose up to the air and challenge him to come and find him to Northrend and finish this. My brother swore that he would hunt him down to the ends of the world if he had to. It was over, the dreadlord had disappeared back to where he came from, and Arthas was standing in the middle of the square heaving and snarling. I slowly approached him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"It's over, little brother. We have to go. I think that it would be best if we set the entire city on fire, to ensure that no one is still hiding in one of the buildings. We can't risk them escaping and spreading the disease any further.", I whispered.

"Give the order please, Calie. I...I think that I have done enough to this city today.", he whispered as he moved towards the gates, shoulders slumped, after he thanked us and the adventurers, stating that he needed to make plans about an expedition to Northrend.

"Set the city on fire. No one should be allowed to survive and contaminate others", I bellowed, and dipped the tip of my arrows on a dais of oil, then on the fire in front of me, and shot them at the roof tops of the houses. By midnight, the entire city was burning. The Kirin Tor Magi, enchanted the fires to burn forever, thus ensuring that no living being would dare to ever venture close enough to Stratholme and risk getting infected by an undead monster fortunate enough to "survive" our onslaught. I had just returned from the pond after washing all the gore off me, when Halduron came and slumped down next to me, by the fire.

"Hey, little huntress! How are you holding up?", he whispered as he offered me his flask full of Dalaran Noir, a favorite of the Sindorei. Ι took a large sip and gave it back to him.

"I think that I just lost my soul today, Hal. Over five thousand souls perished today by our hands. I don't think that I will ever recover from this. Nor would I ever be able to look my self in the mirror again.", I sighed. He put his hand around my shoulder and hugged me.

"I know exactly how that feels, sweetheart. But you are a Princess of this land, sworn to protect the people from all threats, even if it means that you have to sacrifice a few, in order to save the rest. That is the burden of command. We have to make the hard decisions, and sometimes sacrifice our own souls for the greater good. But we must press on. We must be stronger than the rest of the people that were were bestowed to protect and do whatever it takes to keep them safe. I may not be a prince, but I've been a high ranking Ranger for over a hundred years and have had my share of making hard and impossible decisions that damned some, though saved thousands of others. I was there when Ogrim Doomhammer crushed the head of Anduin Lothar, a single shot of my bow would have saved him. But had I saved him, thousands of Human, Dwarven and Elven troops would have perished, because more Orcs and Trolls were about to break through from the Blackrock pass and swarm us. So I used my very last arrow to make the impossible shot and cut the rope that was holding the boulders together, and the passage was blocked, crushing a third of the Horde forces as they fell. But since then, at least once a week, I dream about that wretched hammer falling on my old friend's head, crushing his skull in, splattering his brains all over the red soil of the Burning Steppes, and snuffing the life out of the best Human I have ever known, besides you of course. It's been over twenty years since that day, Calia, but not a day goes by that I don't think about what would have happened if I had just one more arrow left in my quiver, and one more moment, so I could save Anduin and block the pass. But I keep telling my self, that had I saved the Lion of the Alliance then, all of us would have perished that day. You should do the same thing, little huntress. Had we not purged this city, millions would have died at the hands of the undead.", he squeezed my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. We had finished the large flask of Dalaran Noir, and not eaten anything in over a day. It did not take much to get us both very drunk. I looked up Halduron. He was not Kael'Thas, but he was gorgeous. His hair was strawberry blonde, instead of golden, and his eyes had a different, darker, shade of blue than the prince's. His decades out in the wild, battling Trolls, Orcs and Ogres, had turned him into a lean mean fighting machine, with the body of a god. And the smoldering look he was giving me, was making me weak on the knees. I never imagined that he saw me like that. To him I was always the little Human Princess who aspired to become a Farstrider. But now, there was no mistake. I saw pure, unadulterated lust in his eyes. And it matched mine. He must have seen it in my eyes as well, because the next moment he crushed his lips on mine. Fireworks went on in my head.

'Wow, Elves sure know how to kiss!', his tongue traced my lower lip, requesting access, and I allowed it. Soon we were locked in a very passionate embrace, oblivious at what was happening around us. Fortunately, my tent was much further away from the others' and Arthas was nowhere in sight. And neither was Thalia for that matter. Not that it concerned Halduron and me at that moment. Our kiss was becoming more and more demanding and passionate, Halduron's lips left mine, and started to trail hot kisses down my jawline and neck.

"Shall we go to your tent, little Huntress?, he whispered as he nipped the crook between my neck and shoulder.

"Oh yes, Hal. By all means, let's so so.", I whispered back, and before I even knew what was happening, I was whisked into the tent in record time. 'Impressive, he's not a high ranking Ranger because he's gorgeous. I just hope that he is not that fast in other matters.', He was not. Elves were very hedonistic in their romantic encounters, and Halduron introduced me to techiniques that I never even dreamed about in my most erotic dreams. Prestor was a good lover, but I could tell that he was holding back, a lot. And I later discovered why. Being a dragon and one under the influence of an old god, he feared that he might seriously hurt or kill me if he lost control. But thankfully, Halduron had no such qualms, I was certain that my moans and occasional screams of ecstasy could be heard all around the camp. I was later informed that they were, but our passionate cries, mingled with those of Thalia's and Arthas' cries from the other side. How embarrassing!


End file.
